Workshop Instructors
Alek Trail
Alek came to yoga in her late teens, and since then has been exploring and experimenting with the physical and mental practice as a way to stay curious, humbled, and connected. With a background in modern dance and improvisational movement, yoga has provided her different perspectives to approach and refine the subtle body and mind.
Alek is currently pursuing her 500-hr certification with Leah Gillman at Barefoot Movement in downtown Oakland. With her teaching philosophy rooted in authenticity, kinesthetic awareness, and question-asking and answering, her intention is for her students to walk out of her classes feeling as though they have a deeper sense of their inner-landscape with which they can dive deeper, intellectually, spiritually, and physically. She strives to facilitate an experience for the practitioner to become more familiar with the subtle body- allowing them to hone awareness, drop in, and gain more mindful insight into their own unique personal practice. www.alektrail.com
Hanna Malm
talar svenska
Hanna Malm had taken yoga on and off for 15 years before the birth of her first child, Mia. That life changing event brought her deeper into yoga, and after the birth of her second child, Max she took the Barefoot Movement Flow Yoga Teacher Training. Once she completed her training, Hanna spent a year sailing in Mexico, living on her boat with her partner and two children. During that time, she sought out and found multiple teaching opportunities in different foreign ports, including getting studio time at cruiser clubs and marinas like Club Cruceros in La Paz and Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz. She was lucky enough to be able to do yoga on deserted beaches with her children. Teaching yoga allows Hanna to share her experience with the practice: one that connects all aspects of self - body, mind, and breath - and that by connecting to oneself on a deeper level we also connect to the world around us in a more true way. It is her belief that incorporating the elements of yoga into daily life in small ways, even just taking the time to focus on breath for a moment or remembering posture, leads to a positive change in peoples lives. Hanna’s teaching style is encouraging, supportive, and honest, creating a space where you can get to know your body and expand its capabilities, a safe and grounded environment in which to grow and learn. yogamalm.com
Jovida Ross
Raised by a yoga teacher, Jovida was introduced to asanas at an early age. Contorting into shapes with animal names was a fun game as a child. Based on this early exposure she practiced asana and meditation casually through adolescence and college. As an adult she turned to yoga in the midst of personal and professional transitions and found healing as well as inspiration in the practice. Jovida found her yoga home at Barefoot Movement in 2010 after a number of years sampling a variety of yoga styles and teachers. She completed the Flow Yoga Teacher Training I in 2012, and earned the 500 hour certification through Barefoot Movement’s Flow Yoga Teacher Training II in early 2014. Her primary yoga influences are Leah Gillman‘s alignment-attentive vinyasa flow that incorporates insights from martial arts and dance; vigorous vinyasa teachers such as Stephanie Snyder and Naushon Kabat-Zinn; and practitioner training with Mark Horner, which she began in early 2014. Outside of her yoga practice, she shares her nonprofit management expertise as a consultant, trainer and coach with Movement Strategy Center, where she also practices 60-40 Stance, an applied mind-body technology that incorporates aspects of Mu-i Tai Ji Zen, developed by Norma Wong of the Institute of Applied Zen.
Karen Johnson
In 1980 Karen used crutches to walk into to her first yoga class. It was a great type of physical therapy that led her to a career in barefoot movement and modern dance. She studied at Cal State University Long Beach, winning a Dance Magazine award and an A.D.F. national title. After leaving Los Angeles to live in the Bay Area, she received her degree in the LEAP program at St. Mary’s College then studied with Leah Gillman in her first flow yoga teacher training.
Karen loves the way yoga allows the mind to find itself inside the body, awakening the physical to allow the practice of mindfulness and the letting go of judgment. Her classes honor the moments between asanas as opportunities to deepen the breath and be fully in each moment. She connects the poses in a playful manner with the goal to
guide others through their journeys in a non-intimidating and fun environment. When Karen isn’t practicing inversions and half moons she is happy making messes as an art teacher at Lakeview Preschool and Redwood Day School.
Maggie Dill
Maggie Dill first became aware of the act of relieving tension through massage therapy in her early high school days, when she would offer to give foot baths and rubs to friends who had been on their feet for long periods of time. She continued this behavior well after those days, and became quite fascinated with the functions of the human body, striving to intuit anything she could from different sensations and kinesthetic movements. She realized, at some point, that she could actually make her living off something that she loved and identified with so much.
With a lifetime background of ballet, dance and body alignment, her understanding of the muscular system allowed for a career in this field to become an inevitable choice. She began her training at Santa Barbara Bodyworks in Santa Barbara, Cali., studying under the instruction of the superbly talented and highly respected Michael Antrim, CMT. It was in this community where she was also fortunate enough to practice the extraordinary modality of visceral manipulation through the direction of Matt Lynch, the exceptionally knowledgeable founder and director of Santa Barbara Bodyworks and co-creator of Compressive Deep Tissue, an extremely effective modality that she is also thankfully able to offer.
She has since learned many different types of bodywork from Mckinnon Body Therapy Center in Oakland, Ca, including deep tissue, reflexology, pregnancy and infant massage, and specialty chair work. She is a former exercise instructor for The Dailey Method®, a bay area barre workout class which places a strong emphasis on correct orthopedics, injury rehabilitation and core strengthening. She is a current Foam Rolling, Strengthening and Self Massage class instructor. Read more about Maggie’s offerings here.
Pamela Perry
se habla español
Pamela has been a serious student of both Iyengar and Vinyasa Flow yoga for over 15 years. She received her 200 hour yoga teaching certification in 2012 through Barefoot Movement and in early 2015 will complete an additional 500 hours of training toward her certification as a yoga therapist from the Niroga Institute. She also has a PhD in Sociology and years of experience as a modern dancer, an advanced white-water kayaker, and the sole parent of a boisterous little boy.
As a yoga teacher, Pamela seeks to meet the individual needs of each participant in her classes and to guide students toward greater physical, mental and emotional well-being. Her desire is for students to leave her class feeling renewed, grounded and enthusiastic about their practice.
Pamela ha sido una estudiante seria de ambos Iyengar y Vinyasa yoga por más de 15 años. Fue certificada como maestra de Vinyasa yoga en 2012 por Barefoot Movement y en 2015 completará otra 500 horas de formación hacia su certificación como terapeuta de yoga del Instituto Niroga en Oakland, CA. Ella también tiene un doctorado de Sociología y lleva años de experiencia como bailarina de danza moderna y deportista al aire libre. Es la madre única de un niño energético.
Como maestra de yoga, Pamela busca satisfacer las necesidades individuales de cada participante en sus clases y orientar a los estudiantes hacia un mayor bienestar físico, mental y emocional. Su deseo es que los estudiantes dejan su clase renovados, vigorizados y con entusiasma para la práctica.